Let's remember that the reason we are there is that we have vital interests in Afghanistan, hugely important national interests, as do the other countries involved.

People often ask, why aren't you reading about what it is you're working on right now? And the truth is, you only get three pages a night before your eyelids close.

The job of the leader is to get the big ideas right.

I am not a politician, and I will never be, and I say that with absolute conviction.

After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair.

Political progress will only take place if sufficient security exists.

The fact is that Iran doesn't want to see the Taliban come back any more than do most Afghan citizens.

I'm living the dream.

Every civilian's death diminishes us, collectively.

Don't forget Yemen, where there are also extremist elements, as we saw recently.

I think Putin wants to recreate as much of the Soviet Union as he can through a variety of different means. He's invaded parts of Georgia, took Crimea, southeastern Ukraine, bases in other countries.

I don’t want to finish reading the book.

We like to see our future through our children

My own feeling of concern arises from seeing how much moral injury and suffering is created by the superstitions of the Christian mythology.

Luxury destroys more efficiently than war.

Bravery despite defeat is praiseworthy. Victory despite cowardice is beyond praise.

If the victories we create in our heads were let loose on reality, the world we know would drown in blazing happiness.

Sheer necessity,-the proper parent of an art so nearly allied to invention.

To do science is to search for repeated patterns, not simply to accumulate facts.

Don't scale because you think there's a pot of gold over that rainbow. Scale because you're ready and eager to do heroic work, every day, forever.

Marvelous are the innocent.